Things Really Do Change
by mybluesubmarine
Summary: When Robin and Starfire return home after years of travelling, they discover that you can't expect things to last forever. Enemies are now allies. Friends are missing. With everything so different, what can they hold on to? -on hiatus-
1. Once upon a time

**DISCLAIMER: **I only wish I owned this show. Nope it belongs to DC Comics and Cartoon Network.

This starts out as Rob/Star, but it progresses. I'm not even sure where I'm going with this...

* * *

It was late December, that much he knew.

A thick layer of snow had blanketed the city, dusting everything from the rooftops to the trees. In the moonlight each flickering shadow was as dark as the skies above, yet still they glistened. Why was that?

He gazed longingly at the city that he had once called his home. It wasn't quite as different as he'd expected. He _had_ been away for quite some time after all. Sure there were a few new buildings here and there, but otherwise it was like stepping into a time warp.

He could easily pick out the older structures like the bank or the library—Wayne Tech certainly wasn't hard to miss. He chuckled to himself, the sound falling flat in the silence. Bruce never was one for subtlety (at least not when it came to business). For a second he wondered how his old mentor would react if he knew that his ward had stolen from his own company.

'He'd probably disown me.' The man thought, smirking a little. He bent over a little to get a better view, but it wasn't much help.

However nice, all the familiar sights were miniscule in comparison to what he was really looking for. He needed a better view of the bay. He just _had _to see if it was still there, if there was anyone there at all. He hoped so. He didn't like the thought of nostalgia without anyone to reminisce with. Then again he wasn't really alone.

He turned his head towards the girl with the fiery red hair and emerald eyes. She was marveling at the snow, trying to catch flakes on her tongue as they fell. He felt a smile tug at his mouth. At times she was still as adorable as ever. She'd never really lost that quality of endearment, which he found very refreshing. It seemed everyone he ran into from the old days had done a total 180o.

The girl turned to look at him as he lost himself in thought. "Are you able to see? Would you prefer a higher point from which to perch?" she asked.

He shook his head, "No, Kori. This'll be just fine…Do you think they'll still be there?"

She shrugged. "I do not know. I simply received a message from Garth and Roy that they were planning the 'getting of together' soon. I do believe on Earth this is the time known as 'Christmas'." Kori replied.

Her friend nodded slowly, and then sighed, "Well from this angle it's hard to see anything. I don't think a change in altitude would help. How about we just walk there?"

"That sounds nice. I wonder if they'll even recognize you Rich." She giggled. The pair started walking across the rooftops arm in arm before she gently floated them back down to the sidewalk.

"Who knows? There are days when I don't even recognize myself," Rich laughed, running a hand through his shaggy, black locks, "I'll tell you one thing—I do **not** miss the hair gel."

"Nor do I." she agreed as they passed the old rental store. Each building only seemed to revive memories—some better than others. It was nice to know some of their favorite places were still there. Photographs could only last so long, and the ones she had were fading. It was odd; her memories seemed to be doing the same thing.

As they passed a bookshop, she felt a small lump rise in her throat then recede. Her friend leaned over a bit to try and catch her expression. "I'm not so sure they'll recognize you either." Rich said, nudging her ever so slightly.

Kori smiled, and stared down at her feet for a moment or two, "Perhaps not, but I hope they shall."

"Well, your features are easier to pick out of a crowd."

"I shall try and take that as a compliment," she chuckled.

"It was meant to be. Thanks for coming with me, by the way. I don't really think I could've done this without you."

Kori nodded with a small smile, "It's only a walk, but alright…"

"Kori," he chuckled, "You know what I mean."

"…Yes. I do."

* * *

'_Rob,' the half-robot said in a low, stern voice as he edged around the car, 'I hope you know what you're doing.'_

'_I do. Cy, I really think I have a chance here, and I'll have Starfire with me. Besides, I've been looking for some…solo time lately. I feel like I need to explore something other than Robin. The teen years won't last forever,' the other replied._

_Cyborg sighed, 'Are you sure about leavin' me in charge 'cause Raven—'_

'_I want you to take over while I'm gone. I just can't see Raven charging into battle yelling 'Titans Go'!' he chuckled. His friend laughed as well, but with less humor._

'_We're gonna miss you guys.' He said._

'_Don't worry, Cy. We're always just an annoying ringtone away.' _

'_Hey I designed those things; don't be dissin' my tunes, man.'_

_

* * *

_

"You know it seems so long ago, and then sometimes it's like I just left yesterday." He whispered.

"Yes," Kori said, straightening her cap. Rich reached over and wrapped an arm around her. Well at least some things hadn't changed.

"So how are Garth and Roy?" He asked.

"Same as always, I suppose. Roy _did _dye his hair, but perhaps that was the twins' doing." She said with a little giggle.

"Pink or green?"

"Neon blue."

"Oh, well that's not so bad. Could have always been a polka dot job."

"I've heard plaid mentioned once."

"How would you even start with something like that?"

Kori shrugged. Minutes later they went by an old café, which was just barely lit. Inside, there was someone she recognized, though she didn't know his name. He'd been a companion to a friend of hers. He was not wearing his normal black t-shirt with the skull, but there was a skull drawled across his left arm in black. She half expected him to look up, but he did not. He went on, reading his book and drinking his coffee.

As happy as she was to spend this time with Rich, she had missed her friends; each one of them meant so much to her—even Jinx had grown on her in time. It seemed so odd that there were only so many titans left. At one point they'd had more than enough trouble dealing with just a handful of their numbers.

She wondered who had gone, and who had remained. Who would be there to greet them at the door when they arrived?

Her heart felt heavy with worry, yet light with anticipation. After years of separation and training, she was finally coming homing—_they _were finally coming home. She couldn't wait to show off her improved English. She was doing so much better. And Richard could show them the new costume—although it wasn't hard to guess what persona he'd taken on.

"You alright over there? You're awful quiet."

Rich's voice stopped her in mid-thought. "Hm? Oh, no I'm fine. I was just thinking." She said, leaning against his shoulder.

"Thinking? I hear that's dangerous," He chuckled, "Memory lane?"

"No, not exactly. What about you?" she asked. He shrugged.

"I'm…wavering at the moment. I'm not sure if I really want to go through with this." Rich replied.

"You don't want to go?"

"I do and I don't. I mean, people were pretty mad at me when I left." He muttered, looking slightly forlorn. She smiled and took his hand in her own.

"It has been ten years, I am sure the storm has passed." She whispered.

* * *

'_You're leaving us just like that! To what—find yourself?'_

'_Robin this is ridiculous, the titans need a leader. You can't just go running around the world in search of Hades knows what!'_

'_Have you gone out of your mind! What about Slade? Have you forgotten about him? He's still out there, still watching, still plotting.'_

'_So let me get this straight—you're abandoning your Slade quest, you team, and you're taking Starfire with you? Way to go, bird brain.'_

_Some of the harsher ones came from the newest titans, but the message was crystal clear. But what did they expect? The team couldn't stay together forever. Nobody lasted that long—even _Superman_ had talked about taking time off. _

_Of course, a lot of the world's criminals were packing it in. The workload was getting lighter…for now. There's no telling what the future would hold for heroes, especially the titans. Who knows where they would be in twenty years? Strike that. Make it fifteen. Starfire had already seen something along those lines before and he didn't like it. _

_But that was when Starfire disappeared. The time line had been fixed for the time being. What harm would a few years away really do? They had plenty of people to hold down the fort while the alien and the bird were away. _

_Yet, still it wasn't enough for some of the others._

_

* * *

_

Through the years, time had been very kind to the both of them.

Robin had finally grown into Nightwing. His hair was longer and much sleeker then it was before; it reached about halfway down his neck. He was much taller—6'1" perhaps—and he was muscular (muscular, but not a monster). Clad in a black and blue suit, he was something to fear in the dark.

Truthfully, he was glad to be rid of the red, yellow, and green. Not only was he tired of the traffic-light jokes, but it was almost a rite of passage. He was a boy anymore. He was a man, and the world recognized him as such.

Starfire had grown some too, though not quite as much as he. Her hair was a darker shade of red, cut to shoulder length—after awhile she got tired of dealing with all of that hair. She'd switched out her old costume for something more traditional for her age, but a little modified. She didn't want villains getting any…_ideas_ in their heads.

Instead of just two single straps of metal running across her torso, she'd covered her arms and most of her chest with it, leaving her midriff bare. Her skirt was a darker purple and had been lengthened by just an inch. The rest of her attire had been left as it was. She didn't want to change her jewelry; most of it was her mother's. She couldn't bear to part with it.

Most of all, she was still beautiful.

She was just as beautiful as the day they'd met; in fact, she was even more so now that she wasn't trying to pummel him. He let his mind wander through the memory with a silly smile on face. That was the day they _all_ met. Truth be told, it took awhile to form the team, but once they had it…

Good grief, he sounded like an ex-football player talking about the glory days. Ten years wasn't _that_ long in retrospect, right? It was just a decade. Just one decade…oh, who was he kidding? It was like saying a tiger is only a type of housecat.

How had he gotten himself started on this? It was beginning to get depressing. Of course, how could he get it out of his mind? He never could quite erase the image of everyone's faces as they drove away on the R-cycle. Some sad, some angry, some confused; Raven's had been blank as usual. If he remembered correctly, Raven was in an asylum in the future Starfire had seen. Again, that was a different scenario (although he would laugh if he found Beastboy balding).

"Rich…look." Kori pointed straight ahead. Surely enough, in middle of the bay on a small island sat a gigantic 'T'. It had been repainted; or rather the metal had been replaced. The lights were on in almost every room, and he could see figures moving around. They were mere silhouettes, but it was enough.

Kori looked at him with a small smile. "Well?" she pressed.

He nodded, grasping her hand tightly before they lifted off the ground. As they glided through the air, he noticed that she was going a bit faster than usual. The wind whipped and wrapped itself around him as they flew at lightning speed. Looking down he noticed that he was so close, he could reach out and run his fingers across the surface.

"Incredible." He breathed. He'd never seen the bay quite like this...

And then they were on land. It was almost as if they had never even been on the water. She _was_ excited. Of course, who could blame her?

Both ex-titans took a moment to straighten themselves out and Rich went up to knock on the door. One second…two seconds…three seconds…four-the doors slid open with a familiar hiss. Standing there was a tall, lanky pale guy with blonde hair.

"Hey! You two actually showed up! What was the hold up?" he said, leaning against the door frame.

"Um, do I know you?" Rich asked sheepishly.

"Know me? Duuuudeeeee. It's me…Beast Boy." The guy said, pointing at himself.

"_Beast Boy?_"

"Yeah! Cyborg found a way to de-green-ify me. Pretty cool, huh? Well, come on! You gotta get in here! They're dying Speedy's hair red and green! It's gonna be wicked! I'll see you inside!" and with that the shape shifter darted into the living. Rich chuckled.

"Well…"

"I suppose we couldn't have expected _everything_ in this city to stay the same." Kori said, taking his hand.

"I suppose not." He shrugged his coat off and left it in a little corner with everyone else's before inching his way towards the doors.

"Shall we?" she whispered. He nodded.

"On the count of three. One…"

"Two…"

They didn't even make it to three before the doors flew wide open. They'd forgotten about that mechanism. It seemed like almost everybody was there—Titans East, Jinx and Kid Flash, Red-X (Rich made a mental note to ask about that later), those three kids Raven had 'baby-sitted'—speaking of Raven, where was she? She wasn't anywhere in the crowd that he could see.

"There you guys are! I was wonderin' if the bird was ever gonna show up!"

"Cyborg! It's wonderful to see you in working condition!" Kori cried, spinning around.

"Yeah, I'm running just fine. So where have you guys been? I was beginning to think you weren't gonna come." He laughed.

Rich shrugged, "There was a hold up in Moscow."

"What were you doing in Moscow?"

"...It's a long story—hey where's Raven?" he asked, scanning the room.

"_That's _a long story." Cyborg replied gulping down a glass of what looked like Eggnog.

Rich's head snapped up, "She didn't go crazy, did she?"

"No! No…listen I'll tell you everything you need to know, but first—you gotta try the waffles!"

Well, maybe things hadn't changed so much after all.


	2. Insert your exposition here

Wow. I had three reviews in a single day—that doesn't happen very often to me. Gave me a real ego boost (haha). So, here's Chapter Two. I'm sorry it's so late; I've had schoolwork and housework, I've been sick and lazy, and I haven't really gotten around to writing on this. Honestly, I have little to no ideas of where this is going, but I'm hoping that as I write it'll come to me. And maybe you could help me along.

**A/N:** To everyone who reviewed, THANK YOU. I really didn't expect this kind of response. Also, if anyone has any ideas or questions—please let me know by either commenting or sending me a message. Thanks again! I'm also sorry that this is shorter than the previous chapter, because I ran out of ideas near the end and I barely wrapped it up. I have more for the next chapter to deal with though.

**Warning: **This 'chapter' contains much exposition so don't be surprised. Seriously, I hate writing it just as much as you hate reading it. Gimme a break.

**DISCLAIMER: **I don't own Teen Titans. Wah!

* * *

The trio wandered into a quiet little corner away from the noise and festivities (and the hair-dye). There, they found a small grey and yellow booth along the wall, something that Rich didn't remember being there when they first built the tower. Obviously, it must have been new. In the back of his mind, he began to wonder what else had been changed.

How much of its original structure was still there? Were the rooms the same? Was his room even there anymore? Perhaps, it was shoved off into a darkened little hall, the nameplate rusted and worn. Maybe he was speculating too much.

Cyborg slid to the far edge of the black seats with a tired look on his face, like something had drained him of his good mood. Maybe he'd never been in a good mood and was only faking it. Maybe Rich was just being paranoid. Why were there so many maybes? (A/N: Sorry…) Still, the atmosphere_ had_ deadened a bit since the two had arrived, at least where they were at. The rest of the party went on just the same; it was comparable to looking through a glass window, watching all the joy and mirth from the outside unable to reach out and touch it.

Kori carefully sat down, leaving just enough room for Rich, but he preferred to stand. Then with a sigh, their friend began:

"You know, I don't really know where to start."

"The beginning is always good." Rich chuckled.

"Don't be a smart-ass." The other snapped.

"Cy—"

"It's Vic, these days."

"_Vic_?"

'Vic' rolled his eyes; was it so surprising that he had a real name? "I can only go so far in this town as Cyborg. Sometimes I need Victor Stone," he explained, "It makes undercover work easier. Plus the press won't leave any of us alone. It gets to be a real pain in the ass. Now, where were we?"

"Wherever you want to start."

"Right…the first thing to say is that none of this is your fault. We all made our own choices, and we've had to live with them.

"I guess you saw Beastboy by now. The toxin in his system, the one that made him that way, mutated a couple years ago and not for the better," He added, shoving his glass off to the side, "he nearly went blind. We had to alter his genetic makeup to match to the toxin—not the easiest of tasks. He's still in recovery."

"What about Raven?"

"Raven was the first one to leave. She'd been hinting at it for a while, but I guess I just never noticed it. Now that I think about it, it might as well have been stamped in big blue letters. She was meditating more and more, sometimes for _days_, and visiting her mother for weeks at a time.

"You see her people had found a new world—a new Azarath, and she was helping them put everything in order. After each visit, she always came back, but then she would be gone again just like that," he said, snapping his fingers to make the point, "After a bit, she stopped coming home altogether, and we didn't see her for seven months.

"The rebuild took about a year and half. Thankfully, we still had _some _contact with her; you wouldn't _believe _the cost of interdimensional communication."

"So, where is she now?" Kori whispered, leaning towards her friend.

Vic shrugged, "We don't know. Her communicator is offline. There hasn't been any contact since a month after her last transmission. There's no word of her anywhere, from any of our sources."

"Great. So, now we're right back where we started," Rich growled.

"Look, you asked—I'm just telling you what I know. Don't jump on my back 'cause I can't look into the crystal ball and give you all the answers!"

"Haven't you even looked for her!"

"Of course we've looked for her! We all have! But we had a city to look after and only so many titans to each tower. Our numbers were_ thinning_, Dick. We didn't have the time or the resources. She's gone!"

After that, things got very quiet, but the party went on just the same. Out of the corner of his eye, Rich thought he saw Roy aimed for a basin of some weird, swirly liquid. Beast Boy was trying his hardest not to laugh as he held up an old camera, prepared to take the perfect shot.

"Who else is gone?" Rich whispered as he watched and wondered.

"The only titans left are in this room, except Timmy, Teether, and Melvin. They're just civilians here for the 'reunion'." Vic replied.

The though struck them like a wrecking ball. Only eleven people—the Titans East, Red X (again, what the hell), four of the original five, and _Terra._ She was one of the people lowering Roy into the basin.

"How is Red X a titan?" Kori asked.

"Huh? Oh. He isn't. He's, uh, one of our contacts. He slips us information and we occasionally give him a head start when we catch him." Vic explained.

"How much of a head start?" she asked, curious.

"Depends on the information." He replied with a mischievous smile.

Rich sighed, "So that's what this has come to—using _villains_ as contacts and sources?"

"You got a better idea boy blunder?" his friend retorted. Rich winced; he thought he'd gotten rid of the stupid nicknames by now. Obviously, he was wrong.

"Think of it this way: who knows this city better than the villains who want to take it? Crime fighting has changed. The police take most of the work while we sniff out the more dangerous guys, known at the Underground. Villains have migrated to darker corners of society, sometimes even the sewers. There's a whole world beneath our feet. We've had to look for better options, even if we don't really like them. 'Sides, Red X was never a villain. He's just a pain."

"So I'm guessing everybody else just settled down?"

"Yeah. Sucks, huh? I really miss the old days. It seems like everyone's retired, well _nearly_ everyone, or with another league or something_._

"Jinx and Kid Flash left after Raven. They share an apartment in Gotham city. She teaches high school now, but I'm not sure what subject. Argent's in England, I think. She worked with Mad Mod for a time—for MI5. He died last year; a heart attack in his sleep. Red Star's back home in Russia. I think he got married to a local girl. Don't know her name, but they had a son.

"Control Freak runs a rental store downtown—movies, video games, that sort of thing. Kitten started a modeling agency in LA. Her dad fronts the whole thing, so he doesn't have much time to cause havoc anymore. Thunder and Lightning became part of the Justice League. Heaven only knows where they are, but I think they're doing okay.

"Mumbo's doing lounge acts in Vegas. He says it doesn't pay much, but at least he's not behind bars. We check in on him every so often, just in case. Terra came back six years ago. In case you were wondering, she and the grass stain are very happy together and we're glad she's back. Everybody else is either a civilian, in jail, or they just don't talk to us." Vic told each story with ease, without lingering on each person for very long. He went on about the newer villains, recent victories, who had been defeated long ago; he even told them about how Dr. Light finally just lost it and had been carried off to Arkham. Kori found it strange, that _he _was in an asylum instead of Raven as she had seen before (although after Raven, he'd never been a stable person).

In return, Rich began to explain what the pair had been up to for the past decade. The two had started out in Paris tracking down Monsieur Mallah with the help of the Doom Patrol. He and the other members of the Brotherhood of Evil had managed to escape the ice chamber, but Brain's brain was damaged in the process. The tube of metal was nothing more than a paperweight.

General Immortus was found with Brother Blood, who they found out belonged to the Church of Blood, a flimsy cover for the followers of Trigon the Terrible. Most of his students and followers were stamped out in the African jungle. General Immortus escaped into Spain, but Blood was caught and killed by an 'old friend' (his or her name was never discovered). Madame Rouge was discovered in Prague; the Doom Patrol took care of her _personally_.

"Basically, we were more like bounty hunters instead of heroes. Most of the work was for the J.L., but we did some missions for European countries, etc. We even spent a couple years looking for Mandi—Blackfire I should say. She's doing time in an intergalactic prison just west of Venus. Her sentence might be interminable." Rich explained. Kori was quick to interject something about a black hole, but didn't say much else.

"So, was Moscow just another job?" Vic asked, leaning against the back of his seat.

Rich shook his head, "Moscow was supposed to be a vacation. However, we got tangled up in international affairs. I'm not allowed to say much else. Let's just say things got complicated."

"I'm familiar with complicated. So, are you two here to stay or are you just passing through?"

"We don't know yet," Kori replied, "As much I love travelling, I'm not ready to leave again. In any case, our work is done. The Justice League will be merging with other teams and we won't have anything to do. And retirement isn't exactly an option for Rich."

"Me either. They'll have to carry me out!" Vic laughed heartily.

Eventually, the trio moved their way through the party. They spent the rest of the evening catching up and swapping stories while admiring Roy's new 'do. Everyone avoided the subject of Raven. They didn't mention her willingly, but it was easy to grasp they felt much the same was Vic did. She was gone and nothing could be done.

The party didn't break up until it was nearly daybreak. They dispersed into their separate rooms shortly before five a.m. Rich decided to bunk with Kori in her old room. It hadn't been touched since they left; he never realized how pink it really was.

"I think it went pretty well." He said after lying in the dark for a little while.

Kori nodded, "Yes. Well, but not what I had hoped for…do you think she is alright?"

He didn't have to guess. "Raven's smart. I think she can take care of herself," he assured her, "I think if she wants to come back, she will. She's kind of stubborn, though."

"Yes, but you can win with a little effort."

* * *

"_Starfire, I swear, if you don't give me back my leotard—!" Raven called angrily from the safety of her bathroom. Starfire giggled as she hid the black spandex behind her back. _

"_Raven, you are not a youngling any longer. Is it not wise to wear something more traditional for your age?" She asked, referring to the long, blue dress in her friend's wardrobe. Arella had sent it for Raven's eighteenth birthday. It was floor length, with a long slit running up each side. According to Azarathian tradition, this was more appropriate for a woman of her age._

"_Starfire, we're on Earth, not Azarath! And I like my leotard!"_

_The argument ended with Raven in the dress and Starfire wearing a triumphant smile for the rest of the day. _

* * *

Kori got up just barely before noon. Beastboy—_Garfield_—was making breakfast. Tofu eggs and bacon. As different as he looked, it was nice to see that he hadn't _completely_ changed. Terra handed her a plate of waffles as she came in and they joined Karen on the couch.

"So, how are things with you and the boy wonder?"

Kori smiled, "Much the same as they ever were. I think getting out of Jump City was good for him."

"He always was a little tightly wound. By the way, your English has seriously improved." Terra interjected, munching down on a bite of waffle.

The alien princess smiled, "Thank you."

"What about you?"

"I missed my friends. I missed the tower, but in the end, I suppose if you want happiness, you have to go looking for it."

Terra nodded, "Yeah. I managed to get through high school and a couple years of college, but after awhile I naturally gravitated back to Jump City. It was worth having a normal life, don't get me wrong, but it's hard to keep away completely."

"Yes…"

The rest of the morning was fairly quiet, aside from Roy chasing Garfield all throughout the tower. Apparently, the photos from the party came out very well.

"Dude, you are completely overacting!"

"Overreacting? You'd dyed my hair plaid—how is that even _possible_—and by now those photos are all over Facebook where everyone can see them."

…"Actually they weren't, but that is a _great_ idea." Garfield snickered.

Terra chuckled, "Are you still glad to be home?"

"Well," Kori began, "I suppose you miss everything—even his..."

"Stupidity? Silliness? Oddities?"

Kori smiled, "All the same isn't it?"

"At least when it comes to Garfield."

* * *

_"Main power online."_

_"Oxygen tanks at maximum."_

_"Defensive systems active."_

_"Twin turbo hydrojet engine purring like a kitten." Cyborg said, petting the ship like it was his dog._

_Beastboy leaned back in his chair, "And your secret weapon is ready to rock."_

_"Only time you qualify as a secret weapon is after eating a tofu bean burrito." Cyborg muttered. The conversation was juvenile at best, but Beastboy _was _essential to the mission. He was the only one able to breathe underwater, become any fish in the sea, etc. Although, Cyborg could have made some sort of apparatus to do that _for_ them, but hey, why make one when you have the grass stain? Besides, maybe they'd get lucky and he'd piss off a shark and get eaten._

_As they glided through the ocean, Starfire was mesmerized by nearly everything that floated by her window. They had no such creatures on her planet, to be sure. Beastboy took the opportunity to try and brag._

_"If you think they're cool, wait 'til you see me out there kicking butt. First I'm going shark." he started gnashing his teeth, like something out of a bad Jaws sequel. In the middle of munching, he noticed that something didn't seem right with the audio on his end. _

_He tapped his headset, "Hey! What just...is this thing on? Hey, cut it out!_"

_After a little chuckle, Cyborg switched his mic back on."Goodness me. I seem to have accidentally switched off Beast Boy's microphone._" _he said ever so innocently._

_Raven rolled her eyes, "Could you go ahead and accidentally leave it off?_"

* * *

Karen suggested that the three of them should leave the tower to get out of the firing line. There was a flea market downtown that she particularly wanted to go to-it wasn't what Kori was used to, but they had some cool stuff and it would leave the boys to blow off steam on their own.

"Sounds wonderful! I'll tell Rich!" Kori replied.

"He and Vic left an hour before you got up," Garfield said, as he was uploading, "I think they're heading to the amusement park or something. Don't worry, I'll tell him when you get back. By the way, what part of Roy should I tag: his hair or his face?" He turned the laptop towards Karen; the paeticular photo he was putting up was when they finally got Roy to a mirror.

She was genuinely surprised. "He didn't even leave a note..."

The formerly green dude shrugged, "I wouldn't be worried. They'll call if something comes up. Hey, while you guys are out, do you mind picking up some hair dye for the angry ginger?"

"We'll swing by the mall," Terra replied, "and please don't break anything while we're gone."

"You don't trust me do you?"

"Do we have to go over the New Year's incident again?"

"That was not my fault! Roy spiked the punch!"

The geomancer simply shook her head and with Karen and Kori in tow, the trio set off for the flea market. Meanwhile the boys might have been getting into something a little over their heads. Big surprise for '_Robin_', right?

* * *

**Next time in 'Things Really Do Change'...**

Rich glanced up at the deserted warehouse with reserve. "Are you _sure_ this is the place?" he asked, "I mean it looks like it's gonna cave it at any moment."

Vic nodded, "Been coming here for at least three years now."

"I'm not sure if this is a good idea."

"Hey, you wanted answers," the other replied, "So, are you coming in or not?"

..."Fine."

**Dun. Dun. Dun.**

* * *

Well that's it for now. It's a bit shorter than the previous chapter, but I'm happy to wrap this second piece at all. Aren't you glad we got through the exposition? There's probably a bit more to come, to give you fair warning, but it'll be less condensed.

**R2Rs (responses to reviews):**

_TheDreamChaser_: Yeah, I was initially confused about what I was going to do with Raven myself and I finally locked onto an idea that I like.

_klrob_: Well, it's the thought that counts. I hope you like this.

_xMissFortune_: Yay! I might be better than I thought *kicks ego in*. And thanks, I'm always worried that I portray people OOC and I don't like doing that. I mostly put Red X in because I'd always liked him as a character in the series and it would be a shame not to at least mention him in here. And I hope I live up to expectations…*sweatdrop* PRESSURE! Just kidding.

_kiobithax-angel_: Woot! *spins around in fake spinny chair*

So, R&R, please! Please...how about I make a LOL cat face? No? Oh well...bye.


	3. Explorations

It's onto Chapter 3 ladies and gents. So, guess what? I have good news: It's almost summer! Normally, this wouldn't mean anything, but since it means the end of school I'll have more time to write & update! Hooray!

**A/N: **I am hoping to get a little deeper into the story soon, but for now I'm just building things up. Also, I really enjoy flashbacks because they fill in spaces where I don't know what to do next. I need ideas!

**Disclaimer: **I actually did own Teen Titans, but I sold the rights to DC Comics and Cartoon Network. Darn you DC Comics and Cartoon Network! I'll get you back…somehow. (Ten points to anyone who knows where that joke is from).

* * *

Kori had never seen so many tacky things in one place in the whole of her life.

There were rows of loud colors and patterns as far as the eye could see, clothes and accessories that even the 70s would be ashamed of, and strange purses the size of a klafg'ar (_klaugh-gar_). The worst came from a creepy looking old man who was selling hoop earrings the size of hula hoops. They looked more like something she'd played with as a child on Tameran.

"I never said _everything_ about it was spectacular." Karen remarked, noticing the face Kori made as they passed that particular booth.

"How often do you come here?" Terra asked.

Her friend shrugged. "A friend of mine had a booth set up here before she moved, which was about a year ago. I don't come as much as I used to, though."

Kori raised an oval brow, but she didn't say anything. Her people wore stranger things—certainly more revealing things. Perhaps this had once been fashionable (although she highly doubted it).

"The cool thing about this place though is that you can find a bit of everything. You just need to know where to look." Karen pointed out, just as they passed by someone who was selling diamond encrusted watermelons. And they called the food of _her_ home-world strange.

The girls drifted from booth to booth, but there wasn't much of anything that caught their eye. It was mostly smelly old clothes, bad accessories, and knick knacks. Who _bought_ this stuff?

"Looking for something, child?"

Kori turned on her heel to see a short, gray-haired woman in an adjacent booth. She was wrapped up in purple robes, hovering over a spread of crystals and mirrors. Despite her hair, she did not appear old in any way, but a bit frightening. It was her smile, wide and toothy, but without warmth, that struck Kori.

"I'm sure I can accommodate you." She said in a low voice soft as silk.

Kori shook her head, "No, but thank you."

"Are you sure? Just have a look, I promise I don't bite." The woman replied.

She wasn't too sure about that.

With reluctance, Kori walked over to her booth and peered at her collection. The first thing she noticed was that this spread was different from the others. The items looked as if they belonged in some kind of fairy tale rather than a garage sale—an old fairy tale, though, like the Brothers Grimm.

In the far left corner was a large stack of books written in strange tongues, each larger the next. In another, there were racks of jewels and gold, hand mirrors encrusted with pearls, and even a full-sized crystal ball. However, what interested Kori was a coat rack not too far from her, made of weeping willow bark.

Hanging from the coat rack was a long bronze-ish chain, with brooches clipped to it. Each brooch was hand crafted with a variety of gems and designs. The one that really caught her eye was in the shape of a feather, made out of ruby and pearl. The edges of the brooch were carved to the finest detail to give it the look of a real bird feather, and not just some piece of jewelry. It was exquisite, and strangely enough it reminded her of Raven.

"It's beautiful." She whispered, turning it over in her hand.

"Oh, that old thing?" the woman chuckled, "that's nothing—a mere trinket. A lady such as yourself should look as something more like this." She held up a box of rings, and although they were pretty in their own right, they weren't enough to sway the princess. Something was pulling her towards the brooch, perhaps just missing her friend.

"How much is this?" she asked, pulling out her purse.

The woman sighed, "You can have it free of charge, if you like it that much. They really aren't worth much."

"I insist on paying." Kori protested.

The woman bit her lip, and thought it over for a moment. She then nodded, and took the brooch. After staring at it for a bit, she flipped it over, and removed the piece that allowed it to be pinned; now it was simply a pendant.

After a bit of searching, she fished out a black chain, strung the feather out on it and handed it back to the girl. "Twelve bucks," she said, "take it or leave it."

Kori smiled and paid the woman, "Thank you very much. You have no idea what this means to me." And with that the red head turned and ran off to show her friends.

As she watched her, the woman chuckled to herself, a dark, grating chuckle. She hadn't expected it to _that_ easy. Poor naïve girl. She probably didn't have a brain in her head.

"Regardless," she whispered, "she'll be _perfect_."

* * *

Meanwhile…Well, actually, several hours ago...

* * *

Rich didn't really know what to think. "You revamped the _T-Car_?"

"I built a new one—something a little more suited to the work we do now. It's got two modes," Vic explained, "one for cruising and one for fighting."

The 'cruising' car was basic black, built like a sports car. It reminded Rich of a cross between a Ferrari and a Maserati. The 'fighting' car was a sleeker version of the old T-Car, only equipped with twice the gadgetry. It could operate on land, air, or sea, and if you wanted you could change which side the steering wheel was on, in case they happened to be passing through Europe. Or if Garfield ever tried to sneak off in the middle of the night.

"I thought the T-Car was your baby."

"Well, now I have a grandkid. But hey, some of the old parts are still in there: the engine, the surround system. And the waffle iron." Vic added.

"I don't remember the waffle iron."

"It was in the glove compartment. So, you wanna cruise around town? The pizza place has kinda fallen out, but they did build an amusement park."

Rich nodded, "Sounds good. Kori's still asleep though."

"Eh, she'll be okay. Hey grass stain!"

Static. Vic had installed an intercom in the garage? "Whaddya want tin can? Don't you know what time it is?" Garfield groaned.

"Dick and I are gonna head out," he replied, "make sure X is out of the tower before noon."

"Aye, aye captain! Oh crud, Roy is up! I'll see you guys later!" Garfield's voice faded with a crackle, and Vic shut off the intercom.

"Let's ride."

[A/N: Nanananananana driving scene! Yeah, no…]

The amusement park itself was huge, much bigger than he had been anticipating. Did Jump actually have the room or the 'income' to build an amusement park in the first place?

The entirety of the park was surrounded by a roller coaster, which seemed to be connected to almost every other coaster there. There was a cotton candy machine, a Ferris wheel, a dunk tank—anything and everything a kid could want in an amusement park, or in this case two grown men who had nothing better to do with their time. Go figure.

(A/N: At this point in time, there would usually be a montage scene, but I can't write one…)

They started at the simpler rides in the park, and eventually built up to the roller coaster which was appropriately named the 'Whirling Rocket of Death'. Needless to say much puking was involved, but isn't that the essence of the experience?

When the frivolity and vomiting was over, the two retired to a bench near the entrance gate and began chowing down on cotton candy. Rich remembered the first time Kori had ever had cotton candy—it had also been the first time she'd ever seen fireworks. Well, the first she'd seen fireworks and it didn't signal some kind of an invasion.

"So, do informants often stay in the tower?" Rich asked as he popped another piece in his mouth.

Vic shook his head, "No, just X. He comes and goes. Most of our informants like to stay in…sheltered parts of the city."

"Who's the most reliable, out of them all?"

"Well…I don't know." The other replied.

"Come on. Tell me."

Vic sighed, "How about I just take you to meet him instead? He might even have more answers for you than me."

Rich agreed, although he wasn't so sure now that would work out. More answers? What other questions did he have that didn't concern Raven? Or maybe that's what his friend meant.

After one more go on the coaster, they left the amusement park a little after two in the afternoon. According to Vic, the drive to see this guy was going to be long. Apparently not only he was the best, he was also the most secluded.

"He lives in a warehouse just outside of town," he said, "Never leaves."

After about half an hour of road, Vic made a turn into what looked like to be an old construction site. Rich could tell it hadn't been worked on in decades, seeing as nearly everything was covered in rust. It certainly wasn't safe for most people to go in—ideal for a villain who wanted to hide away.

"I usually wouldn't do this, but yesterday he called and mentioned he might have an update on the whole Raven thing." Vic said, effectively breaking the silence. Suddenly a million questions were flooding through his mind, but most of all—

"How can he find anything when you can't?" Rich asked.

"The man has connections, powerful connections. Or at least nosy ones. Ah! Here we are." Vic pulled up to an old, rusty building just at the edge between the city and the canyons.

As he got out of the car, Rich glanced up at the deserted warehouse with reserve. "Are you sure this is the place?" he asked, "I mean it looks like it's gonna cave it at any moment."

Vic nodded, "Been coming here for at least three years now."

"I'm not sure if this is a good idea."

"Hey, you wanted answers," the other replied, "So, are you coming in or not?"

..."Fine."

The two silently slipped inside the decaying structure. To his surprise, the building was empty, save for an elevator in the near right corner. "Don't tell me…" he muttered.

Vic stepped inside, as did his friend, and pressed the down button. Strangely enough, all the buttons with numbers had been completely ripped out. _Someone obviously doesn't expect company anytime soon…_

Rich was cautious about the whole thing—he didn't like the idea of plummeting to his death after only just getting back to town. However, despite its outward appearance, the elevator worked just fine and it swiftly took them down until Rich was pretty sure they'd passed far below the surface of the city.

_Ding._

The doors opened to reveal a dimly lit room, which resembled something like a kitchen. Standing by a coffee machine was a tall, thin man in a white suit. _The bad guy version of Alfred_? Rich wondered.

"You'll find him in the library, Mr. Stone." The man mumbled, motioning towards a hallway. _They really need to get an electrician in here._ Vic nodded and followed accordingly, with Rich in tow.

"Mr. Stone?" he whispered.

"Keep your voice down, man. And stay close."

It wasn't long before they reached another dark room, but definitely the largest so far. Every wall was covered in bookshelves, save for one which sported an intricate system of computers. In the corner, sitting on what looked to be a very expensive couch, was another man. He was fairly tall, thin, but not frail, with white hair and an eye patch. _How cliché can this get?_

"Ah, Cyborg. You know I was expecting you much earlier—and oh my. I see the prodigal son has returned." _That voice…I know that voice._

"I…know you?" Rich asked, not quite certain of himself.

"Brilliant, this boy is. They say world travel does something for the mind."

He took another long look at the man, studying his face, trying to remember. However, he didn't recognize his features. How could he know that voice, yet not match it to the face? Unless…

What if he had never _seen_ his face?

"…_Slade_? When did—but how—I never—what the hell is going on here?"

"Calm yourself, Robin—or is it Nightwing now? It's hard when you don't keep in touch," Slade chuckled, leaning against the arm of his chair, "I don't intend to cause you any harm."

"With all due respect, I've heard that before." Rich hissed.

"I'm sure you have, but I don't exactly—oh, how would you put it—I don't _do _fighting anymore. I've retired. When the only 'friend' you got who's still active is Lex Luthor, you have to reconsider your options."

"You quit because you couldn't pawn work off of your 'friends' anymore?"

He sighed, "Robin, with age comes perspective, and with perspective comes either madness or enlightenment. So, I cut out the middle man and retired."

"Why don't I believe you?"

"You're a paranoid and sometimes violent workaholic with a tendency for ruthlessness and bad puns. You do the math."

Vic decided it was time to intervene. "So, you said that you had something on Raven?"

"Well, I'm not really sure what to call it. A friend of mine in the Underground claims he saw her about a week ago near the ninth district." The elder replied.

"A week ago? And you're just bringing this to us now?"

"He was recently released from Zartalca." [_zarr-tall-kuh, ain't I helpful?_]

"Zartalca?" Rich asked.

"It's 'Alcatraz' spelled backwards. It's basically like the Underground's version of a prison, only for those who have broken 'the code'." Vic explained.

Slade scoffed, "The code. It's just a bunch of silly rules to try and keep the weak ones in line."

"Since when do villains need rules?" Rich snorted.

"As you get older, you learn that not every question has an answer, Robin." His ex-nemesis replied.

"Just how old are you?"

"See? You're getting the hang of it already."

Vic sighed, "Are you sure it was Raven he saw?"

"Down to the last purple hair on her head, but I have a feeling she wouldn't stay down there for very long."

"And why is that?" rich asked, glowering at the man.

Slade narrowed his eyes, in the way that only _he _could. "A hero, even a retired one, wandering the Underground is like walking into a shooting gallery with a target strapped to your chest: dangerous, stupid, and it would be a miracle for you to survive. If Raven has any clue where she was, she would know to get out. She's probably surfaced by now."

"And do you have any idea where?"

"I just answer phone calls and occasionally check the monitor. I'm not psychic. You know her—just think."

And with that, the tin man and the bird flew the coo-coo's nest.

* * *

'_My senses tell me I have changed, but one thing still remains:  
I'm torn and the hate's still aching.  
I slowly start to realize we won't reunite.  
I still have to march on through._

_I dream of a stairway to the skies._  
_My angel is coming down from heaven to take me._  
_I reach out but then you fade away._  
_Whenever you call for me, know that I'm only one step behind_…'

I stretched my legs once I finally had the chance. I'd been running for hours now, maybe even a day. I didn't know. It was always so dark in the sewers.

_Why I left my night vision goggles at home, I'll never know. _I thought as I pursed my lips.

Rumor had it wonder boy was back in town, which only meant trouble for me. He would want to help me the minute he found me—and with him, I knew they would find me. It was only a matter of time.

I didn't mean to cause trouble or hurt any of my friends. I really didn't. It was just that the situation became very complicated very quickly. And it was about more than just a power struggle, this was a kind of quest. However, when or if I ever came back I hoped that I wouldn't find anyone sporting my old uniform.

I shivered at the thought of Beastboy in black spandex.

I had checked up on them every so often as the years passed. I'd watched as the Titans East officially moved into the tower, when Bee nearly ripped Speedy's head off for trying to take Robin's room. I'd been there for Mumbo's retirement party, and for Dr. Light's commitment—committing? Is that even a term?

For so long, I'd wanted to reach out and ask for help, but this was something I had to face alone. No one knew her better than I did. Of course, no one knew me better than she did. It was a stalemate until one of us could get the upper hand.

And I wouldn't stop until I did.

* * *

So that's it. I'm sorry about the random lyrics insert, I've had this song stuck in my head ALL DAY. It's 'Stairway to the Skies' by Within Temptation, my favorite band of all time. Go listen to them.

**R2Rs (responses to reviews):**

_RxRFannnn:_ I'll try to keep 'em comin'. No guarentees.

_TheDreamChaser: _Why thank you! Glad to know it's worth it for you! You know, I usually don't like these kinds of stories, but this one kind of clicks for me.

_MysteryGirl2401:_ Well, there I gave you a bit about Raven. I'm not ready to reveal _everything _about what's going on with her yet so you'll have to be patient still.

_The Pigeon One_: The truth is I kind of figure this out as I go, sometimes I'll write bits down in my notebooks so I don't forget them. And thanks for the bit about my writing and the characterizations. Also, I wasn't aware about the comic bits until I'd written it out. Or just this moment. On the note of Roy's hair, I have an odd sense of humor. I find it hard not to laugh at my own jokes even when no one else is, so it's nice to know someone else is laughing with me.

**So R&R please! And I'll get cracking as soon as I can. 'Cause I have no idea where to go from here. Tips? Help anyone? I'm serious. HELP!**


	4. Round and round we go

Well, my small audience, here's chapter four. I really need to start planning this stuff out—mostly because if I don't I'll just drop it and never come back to it.

So, I'm not really sure when I want to present Raven into the story (as more than just a cheesily-written voiceover). I know you guys want to see Raven, but these things take time. So for now I'll give you another voiceover plus whatever comes out as I'm writing.

**A/N:** I think I'll introduce chapters with quotes and/or song lyrics from now on.

I'd also like to point out that Slade is not technically 'good' at the present time. He sees helping the titans as a means to an end. He gives them information, and they make sure he's left alone…for the most part. He does, however, enjoy provoking them from time to time. Robin/Nightwing/Richard's return probably just made his year.

**DISCLAIMER:** *sigh* I don't own TT, or any of its characters.

* * *

"_In a profound sense every man has two halves to his being; he is not one person so much as two persons trying to act in unison. I believe that in the heart of each human being there is something which I can only describe as a "child of darkness" who is equal and complementary to the more obvious "child of light." _—Laurens van der Post

* * *

When it comes to all things 'superhero', scaling rooftops is pretty cliché. However, if you can't go under and ground level presents a bit of a problem, sometimes up is your best bet.

I had to find a way back to 'base' before sunup. Why?—because I'd been sighted, and by a contact of _Slade_ no less. I couldn't have made a worse screw-up if I'd tried.

_One Azarath, two Azarath, three Azarath—_I counted each roof ahead, trying to pinpoint when I would be done. _This would be so much easier if I could levitate_. I thought, but deep down I knew that even _that_ would be a dead giveaway.

"I'm getting paranoid," I whispered as I clutched the folds of my cloak, "paranoid and frostbitten."

I briefly considered stopping by to see Slade, just to thank him for tipping off the boys. Maybe even convince him to let me crash there until Robin and Starfire left. I'd stayed the night before, on very carefully written out conditions, and things had worked out just fine.

"Hey, sweetheart."

I started round so quick that I fell back against a generator.

"_X_," I hissed, "what are you doing up here?"

"I could ask you the same thing. Don't you know tweedle-dee and tweedle-dum are back in town?" he asked, holding out a gloved hand. I batted it away.

"Don't you know you shouldn't be wandering around after dark? We don't have the same arrangement as you and the titans." I reminded him.

X shrugged. "So sue me—actually don't. I'm out of cash."

"A thief out of _money_—oh, whatever he will do?"

"Look, there's no need for sarcasm." He mumbled as he perched on the generator.

I wasn't one for exchanging pleasantries with X. I already had enough problems, and I didn't need him to add to them. "Did you come up here to actually tell me something or do you want to chat?" I asked, hands on hips.

"I could do either," he said, probably grinning under the mask, "your 'house' is under surveillance."

_Oh joy. _"How do you find out? And who—Slade."

"You got it," he chuckled, "the minute 'Mr. Stone' and bird brain left, his creepy butler just _happened_ to leave me a message on my answering machine. Slade's contact noticed something about your exit and they somehow managed to figure out the entry point."

"From a story?"

"I think he got a little more than just a story—he might have even received a tape, but I figure he got rid of it before those two came over."

"Did he say anything else?"

"Yeah, his elevator is temporarily out of order."

"In other words his place is off limits." I muttered. That screwy old bat—I should have known better than to count on someone who'd made a living off of messing with people's lives.

I ran a hand through my violet strands as I tried to formulate a plan. _It's starting to get really long again. I wonder if I should cut it…_

"If you need a place to stay, my door's always open." X interjected after a bout of silence. I looked at him for a second before releasing another sigh.

"I'd rather be locked up in a room with Plasmius…but in this case I probably don't have a choice. Just let me grab a few things and we'll go." I replied, feeling like I'd just chucked a bone at a bulldog.

"It's a date."

A juvenile bulldog.

* * *

[...]

"It's not much—"

"—but it's home. Yeah, I got it."

The apartment wasn't small, luckily. There was enough space for the both of us and two separate bedrooms. Big plus.

X dumped his key in a bowl by the door and while my back was turned he peeled off his mask. I was honestly shocked. Granted, I knew _someone_ was there beneath the fabric, but I didn't think he'd be willing to show _me_.

I wasn't surprised that I didn't recognize the face—gray eyes, dark hair, fairly ordinary features. Don't get me wrong, he was handsome, but I just didn't notice things like that anymore.

"You really were an ordinary thief weren't you—before?"

He nodded, "Yep. I got lucky. The bathroom is just over there and the fridge is stocked—for now. As I said before, I'm broke. You wouldn't happen to have any money?

"Yes, but if I helped you out, they'd notice. After all, don't you steal to get by?" I asked, taking a peak out of the curtains.

"Yes. And no," he said with a shrug, "I'm also an adrenaline junkie."

"Figures." I chuckled.

He showed me to my room and I began to unpack what little I'd taken with me—wallet, books, street clothes, pictures, etc. I hung my cloak up in the closet next to a little black dress, which probably did _not_ belong to his sister (or any other kind of female relative).

After a quick shower, I changed into a black tee and sweats and we ate dinner—fettuccini alfredo and chicken. I passed on the wine.

"So, the Underground, huh? What's it like?"

I looked up from my plate, "Dirty, decaying, grimy. You're not missing anything, trust me."

"Well if it's not the scenery, you had to have gone down for _something_."

"That's none of your damn business, X."

"I'm just trying to figure you out, Rae."

"Don't call me 'Rae'. I hate that. It's a nickname for Rachel," I snapped, taking another bite, "And I guarantee if you go down that road, you won't like what you find."

"Somehow I doubt that." He leaned over the table on his elbow, with a wicked grin and gleam in his eye. I had a feeling that he'd done this before, had developed a method. And I had to admit I wasn't _entirely _immune to his efforts, he had something, but this wasn't about me. Or him.

So, I leaned away, "Don't push it."

He laughed, and sat back down, "Whatever you say. Hey! You know, Rachel could be a cover name for you. What was your mother's maiden name—Roth? Rachel Roth. It could work."

I shook my head. "We don't have surnames on Azarath. 'Roth' is like a title. It's the Azarian word for 'white'." **[A/N: I made that up, just for future reference.]**

"Yeah, but who would know? Besides, you haven't really been 'Raven' for years." He pointed out.

I nodded, but didn't respond. He was right. And I hated that. After a long, awkward pause I finished what was left on my plate, washed the dishes and went off to my room.

I crawled into bed, pulling the cotton sheets over my head, and sighed as my head hit the overly soft pillow. _Haven't been 'Raven' for years.. I _was_ Raven,_ I thought, _I wondered when I stopped…_

* * *

[...lull...]

The sun was a little too bright for his liking.

"I could have sworn I pulled those curtains together last night." Rich mumbled. He pulled the pillow over his head, but no matter how hard he tried little cracks of blinding light kept peeking through. He resolved to dive under the pink covers.

"You did, and they stayed that way for the whole night, but it's past noon." His girlfriend chided.

He grumbled something and flipped over on his side. Kori sighed, "You used to be a morning person."

"I used to run around in traffic light colored tights. Things change." He replied. Kori grabbed his shoulder and yanked him over. His eyes reluctantly met her green gaze.

"Victor told me where you two went."

He sighed, "I swear it was just a detour. I just wanted to see Dr. Light in his straightjacket."

"I meant the warehouse. What did Slade say about Raven?"

"She was seen in the Underground. "

"And that's _all_?" Kori growled, "No notes, no location—nothing?"

"If I knew more, I would tell you more. All I know is that cotton candy, Slade, and a deranged convict do not make a good Saturday—or whatever day this is…I've lost track." Rich replied, barely able to keep his eyes open, "How was your day?"

"It was interesting enough. Karen and Terra took me to a local market. It was awful," she laughed, "but I found this." She pulled the necklace out of her bedside drawer and dropped it in his palm. "What do you think?"

"It's…it looks like something Raven would wear." He said, turning it over in his hand.

She nodded, "I was thinking of giving it to her if I ever had the chance. I think she'd like it."

"She'd go crazy over it."

"You think so?"

"Well, it's not pink or fuzzy. The only thing that could make it any better was if it were blue." He mumbled before handing it back.

"I didn't think of that." She laughed. Kori put it away safely and gave him a kiss before leaving the room.

She still didn't close the curtains though.

* * *

[...]

The rest of the week went on without a hitch or a snag. Everyone was getting along fine, though they could feel the nostalgia wearing off. Perhaps even though each person had grown, they had grown into people that could still fit together like puzzle pieces.

But there was still a piece missing.

Raven had been sighted, officially for the first time, well, _ever_. That meant that in some part of the city at any given time she _was_ out there. It meant there was hope, even if was from the mouth of a criminal.

That part still bugged Rich. He didn't like relying on bad guys—especially not Slade or any of his goons. He'd had his fill of that before. However, given the situation he didn't have any other options.

"So where do we go from here?" he wondered.

"I don't know, man. Slade said he'd been in touch if he heard anything. All we can do is wait." Vic replied, leaning up against the wall.

"That's all?"

"We've tried everything else. I know you don't like it, but he's our best bet."

"I'm not a gambler," Rich replied, "I like to look before I leap."

"When are you going to accept the fact that sometimes all you can do is sit on your hands and wait before things get done?"

"Maybe when we find her…I think I'll go out tonight and wander around that 'area of interest'. I know we went over it before, but maybe we missed something. It couldn't hurt." He said with a shrug.

"Just be careful. There are more than bugs and owls out there."

"Right—the Underground?" Rich asked.

"Only a few ever come out at night, but thanks. Now I'll be worrying about that too."

His friend laughed, "I'm a big boy, Vic."

"Yeah—a big boy that still runs around in tights."

* * *

[...]

Under the guise of Nightwing, being a superhero was in some ways a lot more fun. He wasn't regarded as a side-kick or the side-kick stepping up. He was a hero in his own right.

So he deserved the right to not be mocked about his costume anymore. "Boy who runs around in tights, my foot." He muttered.

The 'area of interest' was a slew of abandoned apartment buildings. Most of them were made of brick, probably built in the sixties or seventies. It was hard to find a single window that _hadn't_ been broken in or completely removed—all save for one building.

In this building, farthest from the left, all the windows were in perfect condition. There were no signs of a break-in, but at the same time it didn't look like anyone lived there. Why hadn't he noticed this before?

After slipping inside, he took a look around. There weren't any pictures or paintings. No furniture either. However, in the fireplace there were remnants of a fire. Someone had definitely been here. After searching the rest of the floor and then upstairs, he started pulling up floor boards.

And he found what he was looking for—or at least what he _could_ have been looking for.

Hidden beneath the boards of the third floor bedroom was a tattered blue cloak, and beneath it a matching white one. He smiled as he curled the familiar fabric around his gloved hand. The color was lighter than he remembered, even under the glow of the moonlight streaming in from the window.

He pulled the other boards up and bit by bit he found a whole life hidden beneath the wooden floors. He found her old communicator—dismantled and beyond repair. He found torn up uniforms and Malchior's book (which had a hole that he could stick his arm through); although the collection was mostly stuff from the past, it served as a marker.

It meant that Raven had been here. She might have even lived in this building. The fire suggested she might have been there the day before.

"So where are you now?" he wondered aloud, though he knew no one would hear him.

After a moment of silence, he put everything back under the boards—except for her cloak and communicator. Those he would need as 'evidence'. He carefully put the wood panels back in place and hopped up in the window.

It was then that they saw each other.

It took a while before his brain could process what was going on. For a moment he wondered if he was dreaming, but nonetheless it was her; purple locks and all—they were longer than he remembered, and maybe even a darker color, almost black. _It probably helps her blend in better_, he thought. Unlike her hair, her eyes were the same violet they had always been. She was dressed in street clothes—a navy sweater and dark wash jeans.

He could tell she was surprised to see him too. She probably hadn't been expecting anyone to show up here, let alone him…and he was holding her cloak to boot.

Neither of them spoke, or moved. They just froze there, she on the ground and he in the window, just staring at each other for one indefinite awkward moment of silence. Finally he managed to move his legs, and he slid down the rain gutter.

His feet hit the ground with a soft thud and suddenly the whole scene changed. They were on the same level, within walking distance of each other for the first time in a decade. She had changed. He had changed. But while he had a million questions, she just wanted to get the hell out of there. Why hadn't she gotten the hell out of there?

He took a step closer. And then another step, and then another. He didn't stop until he was about three, maybe three-and-a-half feet away from her. He was tempted to go further, but he didn't want to push her. This wasn't how he was hoping to meet, true, but he was glad to see her at all. Why wasn't she glad to see him? If anything, she looked scared, but not of him. It was if she was scared to stay, but _why_?

The wind blew through the trees with an eerie howl, not a soft whisper. Her dark locks swayed in rough, jagged movements. After more silence, Richard found his tongue. Before he could say a word, she had worked up a spark of black energy. He watched as it danced and swirled around her.

And then she was gone.

* * *

Well, folks that's all for now. You probably hate me right now, but hey, you asked for a meet and I gave you a meet. I just didn't say anything in particular would happen.

Now, I don't intend to string this whole Raven-not-being-there thing out until the end of the fic. It just isn't time yet, for me and for her.

This chapter is also a bit shorter than the others, as I've been saying every single time, but this time it's true…by four hundred words (including the responses to reviews, opening and closing statements, etc). Sorry! Also, I need ideas. Feel free to leave ideas in your reviews. Really. Feel. Free.

**R2Rs (Responses to Reviews):**

_TheDreamChaser_—I like the whole Slade thing too. He's my favorite villain of the series and it would be a crime not to include him. As for the latter, I gave you two out of three. I'll have to hold out on the third one.

_luna827_—Well, she's been in and out of different places over time. The mystery won't be solved for a little bit, though. So hold on!

_RxRFannnnn_—Yes, Slade, woot! *chuckles* Well, here they are, 'reunited' and then de-'reunited'. I suck, don't I?

_mydarkh3art_—villains helping the good guys has been a popular topic, hasn't it? Well, I put the meeting in as per EVERYONE'S request, but I'd like to preserve the 1st POV for Raven. The whole symbolism with these different points of view is that she is set apart from the group. She isn't a part of the collective thought, shrouded in a bit of mystery unless we switch to 1st POV to give us insight into her life. And yes, I just realized that I was doing that.

**I really hope you appreciated this—I worked on this for about six hours straight. The only thing that keeps me going while writing these chapters are your reviews and my music. I need more of both. Please, please, please, R&R, and pass this story onto to people you want to see this. Please.**


	5. When the walls begin to crumble

I think I got a total of…two reviews for the last chapter, which is okay, but not entirely what I was expecting. Oh well. You win some, you lose some.

I went on a small trip today, so my head is aching a bit as I type this, which might explain part of the writing that will follow. Me+travel=pain. I'm also not wearing my glasses and for some reason the light in the living room hurts my eyes so I moved to a darker location. Also, I'm cursing my love of rock music. But enough about me.

Still, travel always seems to give me inspiration. I came up with several ideas for this chapter. Some of them were okay and others were really, really stupid.

Two things that are getting to me: Word for trying to correct already correct grammar and this uploader erasing my page breakers...UGH!

**A/N:** I began rereading RobRae fanfics. I'd like to 'plug' a few for you; if you get tired of reading this crud these are the best I've stumbled over so far:

A Time Again by Azyrian; Romance & Suspense, Rated T. Complete. It's set post-arc of Season 4. After the defeat of Trigon, Robin and Raven end up together, but she gets tired of her friends being frightened of her because of what happened, plus Robin goes back on his Slade hunt and he basically drives her away. Some years later they reunite, etc. It's pretty good—there's a sequel, but it was never finished. Sad.

It Only Takes a Moment by EmaniaHilel; Romance & Humor, also Rated T. The title pretty much says it all—it's a series of moments between Robin and Raven. It doesn't flow like chapters of a story though, more like a collection of connected one-shots. My favorites are the Wishes parts 1 and 2. Be warned though—those two are pretty dang long. And amazing.

Love Potion by Amber Myst; Romance and Drama, Rated **M**. Complete. Jinx has a crush on Robin, so she creates a love potion to make him fall for her, but Raven intercedes and he ends up falling for Raven instead. It's funny, spicy, albeit a bit corny at times, but you should still check it out.

Honeythief by Xaphrin; Romance & Supernatural, also Rated **M**. Complete. This is my favorite. It's the only Teen Titans vampire fic I have any respect for whatsoever. It tackles the genre, and it is _beyond_ good while keeping everyone in character. And yes, there is a LEMON in it. Read it, read it, read it. It's awesome.

**Disclaimer**: I don't Teen Titans, but I might someday. It just takes a bit of planning.

* * *

_"There is no black-and-white situation. It's all part of life. Highs, lows, middles." –Van Morrison_

* * *

I woke up the next morning with a headache that wouldn't quit—probably from banging my head against the wall so many times.

How could I have been so stupid? Wasn't _I_ the one who was always cool and calculating? Wasn't _I_ the one who always looked before she leapt? I didn't make rash decisions unless I absolutely had to, and yet I actually went back to my old 'house'—I went _back_, knowing it was under watch, knowing that the titans were onto me (kind of), and let's not forget about the Underground who must have me on some kind of hit list by now. Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid!

"That's where the head-banging probably started. Self-chiding, then head banging…" I muttered as I tried to unwrap myself up in the stony colored sheets. I'd spent the rest of the night tossing and turning, hardly getting any sleep at all. I didn't bother will any kind of medication. Knowing me, it would've burned off quicker than the time it took to take effect.

While I was wrestling with the covers hour by hour, the sheets took on a mind of their own. One section was tangled around my left leg, another piece gripping my wrists, one over my face, etc. No matter what I did, I could never get them to settle in the right places. If I moved one, the others would move into even more annoying spots where my lazy and tired arms could not reach. I was in a lose-lose situation.

Finally, I just growled and began kicking and punching the flimsy cotton with furious speed. Needless to say, it didn't work. Instead of freeing myself, I'd simply made a tiny cocoon in my bed. At this point, I debated whether or not if I would get up. One the one hand, I could sense that X was in the living room and I didn't want to deal with him until I was sure that my brain was properly functioning. On the other hand, nothing pissed me off more than myself and these damned sheets.

It was a tough call.

[**A/N**: This happens to me all the time during the summer. It gets pretty hot and humid where I live.]

I held up my free hand ever so gingerly. For a second, I had the urge to rip them up with my powers—and it _was_ tempting. However, I suppressed it. Instead, I willed them to fly into a small pile on the floor next to the bed. I would probably put them back later when I had the chance. I bit back a yawn as I slid out of bed, "I never had this problem in Titans Tower."

"Which one? Your bright and bubbly personality or your secret love of frostbite. You do know that it's below freezing out there?"

I growled. What the hell was he doing in my room—granted, it was _his _apartment, but I didn't walk in on him…no, he'd enjoy that too much. "How is that even possible," I grumbled, "This is California."

X shrugged, "Your guess is as good as mine, sunshine. How's wonder boy?"

"How the hell should I know? I saw him for five seconds and then I came back here."

"You were gone for ten minutes."

"Can you not mind your own damn business? At all?" I snapped, tossing the pillow at him, which he easily dodged. Of course, he had the advantage as my coordination was impaired at the moment. Luckily, I didn't plan on operating any heavy machinery or do any serious spellcasting. Although maybe I could turn X into a dog or something, but then he might be even _more _annoying.

"Hello? Raven? Earth to Raven!" How many times had that line been used? Of course, X liked the odd cliché, so naturally he'd pull that one out of the bag. Speaking of bags, there were several forming under my eyes.

"If I tell you what happened, will you go away?" I asked.

He pondered it for a moment and then nodded. I sighed, "I saw Robin—Nightwing last night. I went back to base to grab some of my old things, but he found them first."

"And you know this because…"

"He had my old cloak. It was awful, as these things go. Neither of us were really prepared, if that's the word for it. It just…happened. I still can't believe that I didn't sense his presence.

"It was just so awkward seeing him again, like a cross between a staring contest and a freeze-out. He moved first—just like him—and he got pretty close, but I panicked and that was that…this sounds more like a bad fanfic, doesn't it? _Sigh_, I should've been more careful. I know better than—"

"No, you don't. You_ think_ you know better. Have you thought that maybe this is a good thing? You're still in trouble right?"

"Yes, but I don't want any of them involved."

"Yet, you're staying with me."

"You're a criminal," I pointed out, "and I didn't have much of a choice, did I?"

"What does my profession have to do with this? Look, you're running from the very people who could be fixing your problem _for_ you. Since when did you become a hermit?"

I growled. "I am NOT a hermit! And sometimes, you have to fight your demons on your own, pardon the pun."

"You're a stubborn creep chick, you know that? Okay, so you're trying to avoid the best chance you have—stop glaring at me—but you were _seen_. And now they'll be searching for you again. They're looking for their Raven. What are you going to do about _that_?" X asked, brow raised.

I thought it out and then out of the blue it hit me. They were looking for _Raven_. The sarcastic, 'creep chick', but what if there was no Raven? I'd already been in limbo for _years_—even X had pointed that out. I was looking at the situation all wrong. I didn't need to run. I simply had to change direction, or simply pave a new path.

While the plan was still burning in my brain, I rushed to my closet and threw both doors open. I grabbed my uniform—my blue dress that I'd been wearing for a decade and ripped it right down the middle. I admit that I didn't like doing it. It was like ripping up a piece of _me_. A sickening feeling began to grow in my stomach, but I swallowed my uneasiness and kept going until it was nothing but shreds. No more Raven meant no more dress. Besides, Starfire was the one who had gotten me to wear the blasted thing in the first place!

I paid no attention to the bewildered thief behind me. Any reaction he was having to my behavior was moot. I was a woman on a mission. Focus was key.

It wouldn't take much—a few spells, some material (not spandex or polyester), and after a couple of phone calls I could start over. I could go out in public, so-to-speak.

Once I'd worked up a list, I began sketching. I had a rough idea of what I wanted, but I needed to flesh it out on paper. Suddenly, I had a weird flashback to the first Spiderman movie where Toby Maguire had done something very similar. Strangely enough, we had actually seen with Spiderman all those years ago—you would think that comic geeks could tell the difference between a _real_ costume and a cheap knock-off.

Weird as this was, I was having fun with my little project. In fact, I got so caught up that I didn't see X sneaking around in my closet.

|/|/|/|/|

…_buzz_…_ buzz_…_ buzz_…_ buzz_…_ buzz_…_bu—_

"Hello?"

"Slade, I thought we had a deal."

"I have no idea what you're talking about. Who is this?"

"You know damn well who this is. I was under the impression that after taking care of your little problem with the Underground that you would at least _try_ and cover for me if anything ever leaked." I hissed.

He chuckled softly, "You know me better than that. In any case, that offer only stands if you don't interfere with their affairs. And I'd consider sniffing around down there for _her_ interfering."

"If you wanna give me options, I'd be _glad_ to hear them. It seems like I'm fenced it at every turn."

"I wouldn't expect anything less considering your situation. Are you going to leave, then?"

"No. She's my problem, and I don't want to bring it to a new city with a new range of innocent lives for her to ruin. No, I'm staying put."

"Then what are you doing?"

"In retrospect, it'll come back to bite me, but right now I really don't care. I'm going to start all over: new name, new looks, new costume—I might even tweak my powers a bit. For everyone's sake, I'll keep it under wraps if you don't mind. I think I've trusted you with enough of my secrets."

"You know, Ernest Hemmingway said that 'the best way to find out if you can trust somebody is to trust them'."

"True, but then Rene Descartes said 'the senses deceive from time to time, and it is prudent never to trust wholly those who have deceived us even once'. And if I'm not mistaken you've lied to me on more than one occasion." I retorted. Somewhere between the quote and the rest of my statement, I found myself wondering if Slade would have made a decent English teacher.

"Trust not yourself, but your defects to know, make use of every friend and every foe—Alexander Pope. I can go all day."

I found myself laughing. To think that I was swapping quotes about trust with a man who had tortured me with Nano-bots, sent a geomancer to spy on me and kill me, made a deal with my demonic father, and somehow managed to make time to mess with Robin and Beastboy on the side. I guess the old adage had _some_ truth to it—the enemy of my enemy is my friend. Of course, the word 'friend' was a bit of a stretch. Frenemy was a better term, but even then…

"Maybe once I've reestablished myself, I'll drop by. But I highly doubt it." I said, leaning up against my dresser drawer.

"I'll leave a candle burning in the elevator." And with that he hung up.

I put the disposable cell on top of the dresser before I grabbed my sketch pad again—well, a legal pad that X had lying around...ironic, isn't it?—Real irony, not just coincidence. I often felt people used the word too broadly.

I chuckled to myself, "Maybe I would have been better off as an English teacher."

The floor of my room was covered in crunched up wads of paper. To be honest, it was something of a minefield, but I'd done it! It had taken me six hours, but I'd finally come up with a decent design. My hands were covered in graphite residue and eraser shavings and I'd gone through about ten cups of coffee, but it had been worth it.

Gazing down at the lone page left on the legal pad, I smiled. I honestly and truly liked what I had—and coming from someone who didn't like to shop for apparel or making it, that was saying something. In my opinion, it was both elegant and refined—and by no means plain—but at the same time it wasn't too complicated for me to make. It would be flattering (as much I could perceive; Starfire has always been the clothes 'expert' to my and everyone else's dismay) as well as functional. The only thing that I didn't like was that I had to give up the blue I'd come to know and love.

Once I was satisfied, I knew that I'd only tackled the first of three problems. Taking on a new persona required more than new threads. I'd need a new face, or at least something close to a new face, and a new handle. My looks could be altered by appearance spells—eyes, hair, etc. The name I wasn't too sure about. After all, Raven wasn't just some superhero name you pulled out of a hat—it was my _birth name_.

Maybe I was overthinking this.

"First things first," I mumbled, taking the pencil out of my mouth, "materials, then the spellbooks." I worked up a quick list of what I needed on the back of the pad and grabbed my wallet. My only problem was Nightwing. I would have to make sure that I wasn't seen this time—by anyone. Of course, if and when I got everything together, the _really_ hard part would be performing the image spells—alterations to one's looks took time. I wasn't going for an illusion, but an actual change. That way it would have less a chance of backfiring.

And with my luck, I needed insurance.

|/|/|/|/|

"I like it."

"Of course you do," I mumbled, scrutinizing myself in the mirror, "Now, be honest with me: who did this belong to?"

X chuckled, "Eh, it's probably best that you don't know. However, I don't think she would mind…You know, I still can't believe it fits."

"I still can't believe you talked me into trying this on. How _did_ you talk me into trying this on?" I asked, tugging on the hemline.

"Well, maybe you secretly wanted to," he replied, "or I'm much more charming than you realize."

I scoffed, "If you're charming then I'm the Empress of Tameran—and if you say 'your majesty' I swear—"

"You shouldn't swear, Rae, it's damn rude." He flashed that oh, so cheeky smile and sauntered back into the closet. "You don't have much in the way of clothes do you? We should fix that."

"_Why_? It's not like I go out that often." I protested, still adjusting the dress. I didn't like short-ish skirts, or skirts of any kind to be honest. I could deal with the straps, but the hem seemed to have a mind of its own. A very dirty mind.

"So, Rae…How complex is Azarian?" I was kind of thrown off by his question. He didn't usually ask about my heritage, let alone the language.

I shrugged, "It's like learning any new language. Some learn faster than others."

"Is it your native tongue? Or did you have to learn it, or did you have to learn English?"

"Um, I was brought up through a variety of languages. Azarian is the ancient tongue in which the Book of Azar is written. That's why it's often used for spells and incantations. Why do you want to know?"

"No reason," he replied, "so did you have a title on Azarath, like your mom?"

"No. Half-demons birthed for destroying worlds don't typically get titles, even if you have 'the love of your people'."

After a bit, X came out with another dress bag in tow, "That's just mean."

I shrugged. "It's just how things are. What's in there?"

He smiled and unzipped the gray material. Inside the bag was a silvery-white strapless gown with a full skirt, the edges of which flared out like raven feathers. The entire dress itself was covered in a shimmery material of some sort that made it look like a snow bank cascading to the floor. It glittered and glistened every so subtly under the lights to complete the illusion.

"Um…_wow_." I breathed.

"What do you think?"

"What do I _think_? It's gorgeous. Where did you find it?" I asked, touching it gingerly.

"Somewhere you wouldn't expect it to be—kind of reminds me of you, besides the weird feather thing." He added. I smacked him on the shoulder. That was the best part.

"Why are you being nice to me, X?"

"I don't know. Maybe I'm just a sap for beautiful women."

"Flattery will get you nowhere."

"So, what's the word for beautiful, in Azarian?"

I shook my head, "No, you'll just laugh at me."

He gasped in mock horror. "Have I _ever_ done that…to your face?" I laughed. I had to admit, when the mask came off, he wasn't such a bad guy… "Rae?"

I sighed, "Promise you won't laugh?"

"Promise."

"It's Raevena." [**A/N: Raven-uh, again—MADE UP…I know it's cheesy. XP ]**

"Perfect."

And almost like a corny rom-com scene, time seemed to stop as he leaned down and crushed his lips against mine.

* * *

Richard—_Nightwing_—had not left his spot on the edge of their bed since he'd come back. Kori knew that look. It was the same concerned expression he had every time criminal slipped through their hands or when Garfield offered to cook. Something wasn't right.

He hadn't said much when he'd returned, just that he found Raven's old stuff beneath the boards of a decaying apartment building (he hadn't actually plucked up the nerve to say he'd actually _seen_ Raven. For all he knew, that might have been an illusion). Everyone else was happy about it—Garfield did a little dance. He even put on the cloak and tried to do a Jedi mind trick to make Roy stop switching out his tofu for real meat. It didn't work.

"Richard," she began cautiously, "Victor is making celebration waffles. Aren't you hungry? You haven't eaten since last night…"

"What's there to celebrate? We found a dead communicator and a holey piece of blue cloth." He snapped.

Kori growled, "If you did not think it was significant, why did you bother bringing them back? You're the one who went out looking for clues after dark and you found them. Why are you moping like you used to—when you were bent on catching Slade? Even then you saw any piece of evidence valuable!"

Before he could answer, Terra and Karen tore Kori away from him—something about Roy's revenge on the changeling. He didn't really care at this point.

Why the hell had Raven run away—_again_? He was under the impression that the two of them were friends, or at least people who could tolerate each other's company. She didn't have any reason to run away from him, well _phase_ away from him, did she? What was her deal?

Questions had been bouncing around his mind for _hours_. Time after time he went over that quick span of time. Time after time he tried to pull something from it, a shadow, a face, but there was nothing—nothing and no one but them.

Maybe she didn't want to see him. It was possible that she might be harboring anger because he left—because he and _Kori_ left. He couldn't leave his girlfriend out of this equation. But that still wouldn't explain why she was avoiding everyone else. What had scared raven so much that she couldn't turn to her friends? Even with the Trigon ordeal, she'd opened up to them. If you confessed about bringing the end of the world, what could be worse?

Or was he overstating things? It didn't _have _to be a big thing right? Right…and Vic was a vegetarian.

No, Raven was in deeper trouble than ever before and as usual she was keeping it to herself. And just to top it off, she'd been holding out for ten years, which meant that it had probably only gotten worse. Rich only understood her methods to an extent. While it was true she was adapted to doing things on her own, he would've thought that she'd have learned to trust her friends. What could change that?

"Maybe it has something to do with the Underground…" he whispered, remembering this evil society everyone kept talking about. So, that's where he would start: the Underground.

And he wouldn't stop digging until he found something.

* * *

Well, that's it for today. Sorry if this is crappy. I stayed up till the last possible second to finish this off, and it's a bit rushed so bleck!

My headache is getting better ever so slowly, with the help of modern medicine and soft music. I decided to try making a chapter a bit longer than usual, I got to five pages in word and I'd already passed the 2,000 word mark.

Yay for me.

_**OH! The first person to find my Danny Phantom reference gets to name Red X! Yes, ladies and gentleman YOU get to pick a first name for him. And don't make it silly!**_

**R2Rs (responses to reviews):**

_Jashire486_—Thanks for sticking with me so far. I hope you continue to read. I hope I continue to write. I don't know why I suddenly put Red X in. I felt like I just threw him in the cast for good measure, and then I thought 'that's not fair. He needs a part'. So there we go. I have several ideas, especially for our big baddie, so hang tight.

_Mewgirl223_—I try to update at least once a week. And yes the Raven living with Red X situation will bring on drama. I might write limes, but I won't go full lemon because I want to keep the rating…and I suck at writing lemons.

**Well folks, gotta go. Hopefully I'll get more reviews for this chapter than the previous one. And yes, I will respond to **_**every**_** review I get. **


	6. Quick Author's Note

Dear readers,

I'm sorry I haven't posted sooner. I've hit a bit of a wall in the story. I love it, don't get me wrong, but I can't seem to move forward. I left it at a point where I can't seem to navigate to the next moment. Hopefully, I'll work out the problem and get back to writing. In the meantime, my naming contest for Red X still stands. All you have to do is find my Danny Phantom reference.

Hoping you won't kill me,

Miss Em.


End file.
